Jennifer McCarthy, 48, the ex-wife of award-winning writer Cormac McCarthy, was arrested and charged in a bizarre incident at her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on January 4, reports The Santa Fe – New Mexican. She’s accused of threatening to shoot her boyfriend after producing a gun she was keeping in her vagina.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. The Couple Had Been Arguing About Space Aliens

Without going into too much detail, the criminal complaint against McCarthy states that she and her boyfriend had been arguing about “space aliens.” It escalated to the extent that McCarthy left their house on Adventura Road in Santa Fe (above) for a period of time on Saturday, January 4. When she returned, she went into the couple’s bedroom, reappeared wearing lingerie and with a silver handgun in her vagina. In front of the man, whose name is redacted in documents, she began masturbating with the gun while asking him, “Who is crazy, you or me?”

She then pointed the gun at her boyfriend, and threatened to kill him. The man was able to wrestle the gun away from her and then called police.

2. Her Boyfriend Put the Gun in the Trash

After getting control of the gun, he put the Smith & Wesson handgun down the toilet, when McCarthy made an attempt to get it out, he brought it to the trash outside of the home. McCarthy was taken into custody charged with assault, she was released after posting a $5,000 bail. You can read the full document here, via Smoking Gun:

3. She’s the Ex-Wife of Cormac McCarthy

Cormac McCarthy. (Getty)

According to reports, Jennifer Winkley married legendary author Cormac McCarthy in Nevada in January 1998. The couple have a son, John, together. The divorced in Texas in 2006. Her writer former-husband is notoriously private, but latest reports say that he lives in Tesuque, New Mexico, close to Santa Fe where his ex-wife was arrested. In rare interviews, Cormac McCarthy has said that his son, John, is his inspiration for the seminal novel The Road.

4. She’s an Artist With a Degree in Literature

On her LinkedIn page, she says that she is an artist. A news article from 1998, states that she has a degree from the University of El Paso in American andEnglish literature. It also states that she liked to work out at Gold’s Gym in Cormac McCarthy.

5. Her Official Website Quotes Byron

On the “Artist Statement” section of her website, recites a line from sex-crazed poet Lord Byron’s work, “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto 1,” that reads:

But in man’s dwelling he became a thing
Restless and worn, and stern and wearisome
Drooped as the wild-born falcon with
Clipped wing
To whom the boundless air alone were home

Then came his fit again, which to o’ercome
As eagerly the barred up bird will beat
His breast and beak against his wiry dome
Til the blood tinge his plumage, so the
Heat
Of his impeded soul would through his
Bosom eat

3 comments

First I would like to commend you on the “sound” reasoning with which you approached the story regarding my arrest in January of 2014. Like so many of your peers, you assumed that because the story was so outlandish it had to be true. What level of decay has the media descended to when truth is determined by the level of a story’s incredulity? Based on a document written by an obviously semi-literate sheriff who merely repeated the strange tale told to him by an angry lover and founded on no evidence whatsoever, nor any reasonable probable cause, you chose to repeat unfounded accusations and slanderous lies as if they were truth

At no point did it cross your mind that perhaps this indeed was a case of domestic violence and that the attacker may have lied to the sheriff to rationalize his assault on me. Additionally, had you done a cursory search of the phrase “domestic violence,” you would have found countless results that included the statistic that up to 90% of all victims recant their statements. Noting this, you might have been able to include a bit of reason in your hysteria-induced article. Instead, you and the rest of social media perpetuated the abuse originated by Mr. Paleologo and maintained by law enforcement.

In February of 2014, I passed a polygraph examination with a score of +18. A passing score is +6. If I understand correctly, the chances that an individual with a score of +18 has been deceptive are .003. During the exam, I was asked if I placed the gun inside of or anywhere near my vagina. I answered no. I was asked if I ever pointed a gun at Mr. Paleologo. I answered no. I was asked if he placed his hand around my neck and squeezed. I answered yes. The test showed I answered all three questions truthfully. Also, I have photos of the bruise on my face and the handprints around my neck that resulted from Mr. Paleologo’s attack.

In June of 2014, the District Attorney agreed to meet with me and my attorneys to listen to my version of the events that occurred on January 4th, 2014. A few days later the case was dismissed.

I write this eight months after your article appeared as it has taken me a considerable amount of time to pick myself up, dust myself off and stand tall after the pain and anguish that resulted from the events of January 4, 2014 and afterward.

You need to know that you and your peers contributed to that unnecessary hardship. For your sake, I hope karma does not exist.

First I would like to commend you on the “sound” reasoning with which you approached the story regarding my arrest in January of 2014. Like so many of your peers, you assumed that because the story was so outlandish it had to be true. What level of decay has the media descended to when truth is determined by the level of a story’s incredulity? Based on a document written by an obviously semi-literate sheriff who merely repeated the strange tale told to him by an angry lover and founded on no evidence whatsoever, nor any reasonable probable cause, you chose to repeat unfounded accusations and slanderous lies as if they were truth

At no point did it cross your mind that perhaps this indeed was a case of domestic violence and that the attacker may have lied to the sheriff to rationalize his assault on me. Additionally, had you done a cursory search of the phrase “domestic violence,” you would have found countless results that included the statistic that up to 90% of all victims recant their statements. Noting this, you might have been able to include a bit of reason in your hysteria-induced article. Instead, you and the rest of social media perpetuated the abuse originated by Mr. Paleologo and maintained by law enforcement.

In February of 2014, I passed a polygraph examination with a score of +18. A passing score is +6. If I understand correctly, the chances that an individual with a score of +18 has been deceptive are .003. During the exam, I was asked if I placed the gun inside of or anywhere near my vagina. I answered no. I was asked if I ever pointed a gun at Mr. Paleologo. I answered no. I was asked if he placed his hand around my neck and squeezed. I answered yes. The test showed I answered all three questions truthfully. Also, I have photos of the bruise on my face and the handprints around my neck that resulted from Mr. Paleologo’s attack.

In June of 2014, the District Attorney agreed to meet with me and my attorneys to listen to my version of the events that occurred on January 4th, 2014. A few days later the case was dismissed.

I write this eight months after your article appeared as it has taken me a considerable amount of time to pick myself up, dust myself off and stand tall after the pain and anguish that resulted from the events of January 4, 2014 and afterward.

You need to know that you and your peers contributed to that unnecessary hardship. For your sake, I hope karma does not exist.

what do you think the dissolution of your marriage contributed to the writing of your former spouse’s book, ‘the road’ ? I am writing a critical analysis of the road for an mfa scholarship application. I know the obvious response is to ask your former spouse but I would also like your thoughts. I find the section in the story where he leaves the photo of the wife on the road to be particularly notable.